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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: Sarrazin Completes Toyota’s LM24 Lineup
Frenchman to join fellow former Peugeot factory driver Anthony Davidson and open-wheel ace Sebastien Buemi in No. 8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid...
Stephane Sarrazin completes Toyota's lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (Photo: Toyota Racing)
Toyota Racing announced Saturday that Stephane Sarrazin has been named as its sixth and final driver for next month's attack on the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Sarrazin, a former Peugeot factory driver, replaces Hiroaki Ishiura, who withdrew earlier this month after back complaints.
The two-time European Le Mans Series champion will join fellow Peugeot refugee Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi in the team's No. 8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid in what marks a homecoming for Sarrazin, who served as a test driver for Toyota's F1 program in 2002.
“I am really happy and proud to get this chance to participate at Le Mans for Toyota Racing," Sarrazin said. "I have good memories of working with TMG; they work very hard and it is a real pleasure to be back.
"It has been quite intense this week to become familiar with the team and the car, but I have received great support and I feel we have made good progress. It is a steep learning curve with a completely new technology and we will no doubt learn a lot this season. It’s a new and exciting challenge for me.”
The 36-year-old Frenchman kicked off the FIA World Endurance Championship season with Starworks Motorsport in LMP2, in what was planned to be a full-season drive with the Peter Baron-owned organization.
Starworks, meanwhile, announced today that two-time Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith will serve as Sarrazin's replacement for the 24-hour enduro.
It's believed Sarrazin will return to the wheel of the team's HPD ARX-03b following Le Mans, as Toyota is expected to only enter a single entry for the remaining WEC rounds.
Toyota is fresh off a four-day endurance test at Paul Ricard, where Sarrazin and his co-drivers turned laps in the LMP1 contender, which was forced to withdraw from the Six Hours of Spa due to a testing accident last month.
“This test marked the end of our pre-Le Mans program so our next chance to drive the TS030 Hybrid will be at La Sarthe itself next month," explained technical director Pascal Vasselon. "Clearly, due to the accident we had in April, our preparations have not been ideal but the time for regrets is over.
"We have made the best of the situation we faced. Le Mans is undoubtedly a great challenge for Toyota Racing in its first year but we can be satisfied with our preparations and we are certainly looking forward to the task ahead.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Sarrazin, a former Peugeot factory driver, replaces Hiroaki Ishiura, who withdrew earlier this month after back complaints.
The two-time European Le Mans Series champion will join fellow Peugeot refugee Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi in the team's No. 8 Toyota TS030 Hybrid in what marks a homecoming for Sarrazin, who served as a test driver for Toyota's F1 program in 2002.
“I am really happy and proud to get this chance to participate at Le Mans for Toyota Racing," Sarrazin said. "I have good memories of working with TMG; they work very hard and it is a real pleasure to be back.
"It has been quite intense this week to become familiar with the team and the car, but I have received great support and I feel we have made good progress. It is a steep learning curve with a completely new technology and we will no doubt learn a lot this season. It’s a new and exciting challenge for me.”
The 36-year-old Frenchman kicked off the FIA World Endurance Championship season with Starworks Motorsport in LMP2, in what was planned to be a full-season drive with the Peter Baron-owned organization.
Starworks, meanwhile, announced today that two-time Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith will serve as Sarrazin's replacement for the 24-hour enduro.
It's believed Sarrazin will return to the wheel of the team's HPD ARX-03b following Le Mans, as Toyota is expected to only enter a single entry for the remaining WEC rounds.
Toyota is fresh off a four-day endurance test at Paul Ricard, where Sarrazin and his co-drivers turned laps in the LMP1 contender, which was forced to withdraw from the Six Hours of Spa due to a testing accident last month.
“This test marked the end of our pre-Le Mans program so our next chance to drive the TS030 Hybrid will be at La Sarthe itself next month," explained technical director Pascal Vasselon. "Clearly, due to the accident we had in April, our preparations have not been ideal but the time for regrets is over.
"We have made the best of the situation we faced. Le Mans is undoubtedly a great challenge for Toyota Racing in its first year but we can be satisfied with our preparations and we are certainly looking forward to the task ahead.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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